Seattle ghost tours show their lusty side

The Green Parrot Theatre, 1972. The theatre was between Union Street and Pike Street on First Avenue. (Seattle Municipal Archives)

Seattle used to be a pretty sexy place.

Just a few decades ago, porn theaters and strip joints lined First Avenue. In the cities early days, the prostitution industry was booming, and the city earned a reputation as one of the most sinful cities in the West.

That’s the kind of thing you’ll learn on the Seattle Lust Tour. You’ll hear about why spikes lined railings outside of the restrooms at Pike Place Market — to deter male prostitutes from getting too comfortable when waiting for customers — and exactly what happened in the “adult gym” near First Avenue and Pike Street.

The lust tour is offered in conjunction with the Market Ghost Tours at Pike Place Market. A few times a week this fall, the tours are being combined to create a more “adult” version of the long-running walking tour that tells tourists paranormal stories about the Seattle landmark.

“The stories you’re going to hear are ghostly, some are ghastly, some are gruesome, and some are just gross,” tour guide Paul Brown said on a market tour last weekend.

The lust tour isn’t new; the market has been offering it for years, but mostly for private groups. While a steady stream of visitors sign up for the ghost tour every week, tourists seem less inclined to spend an evening learning about Seattle’s tawdry history.

Market Ghost Tour owner Mercedes Yaeger said that with the closure of the Lusty Lady on First Avenue earlier this year, there isn’t much remaining of Seattle’s lusty past.

“Tourists really don’t see the gritty side of Seattle,” she said.

The lust tour is offered this fall at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sundays. For more details, click here.